


Conquest for A Sinful Heart

by CamCamx3



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Banter, Bear with me as I remember what writing fiction is, Biting, Depends on where I want to go, Dominance kink, Grief I guess, M/M, Master/Pet, Not sure how detailed I'll be, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possibly irregular update schedule, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Power Play, Rating May Change, Sort of I guess?, Warnings May Change, because sometimes life sucks, it has been awhile, sub/dom stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-01 15:15:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14523426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CamCamx3/pseuds/CamCamx3
Summary: A long thought to be forgotten message blares out:“What if there was a place with all the zip of Nuka-Cola? Quench your thirst for adventure at Nu-ka-World!”“That’s… not good, right?”"You go stock up, make yourself presentable, and then we’re gonna give these folks a show. Got that?"“Oh, I’ll give everyone a show, alright...  And then, maybe, I’ll enjoy some overpriced food and some rides here like a respectable customer of a corporate amusement park!”*Moved to hiatus until further notice*





	1. Chapter 0: A New World

**Author's Note:**

> This fic uses the Pip-Pad mod instead of the Pip-boy. The mod can be found here https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/21953/

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the beginning of each chapter, if I make any changes there will be a changelog with the date and a general statement of the changes made. I will alert you in the following chapter if any chapter has a major, necessary change in it. You may ignore most changes unless otherwise stated.
> 
> 5/6/18 - Grammar, some minor detailing

A year. A whole year had passed since Avery had stumbled out of cryosleep within Vault 111. A whole year of trying to come to terms with the barren and ever-deadly world that was once his home over two hundred years ago. 

From hell and back, Avery had tried his best to survive through whatever means he could. At first, it was helping anyone he could, making ties with whoever he could, all while trying to piece together the puzzle that was left behind about his missing son and dead spouse. Avery made many friends and even more enemies. Over time, Avery stopped thinking about what was truly the right thing to do and just looked to survive the next day, however that may have been. 

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and eventually, it all came together. His son was a monster he would never have imagined, spewing nonsense about recreating the world by trading human life for synthetic. Avery couldn’t have that, and he ended it all in one blow. 

The decision hadn’t been hard, despite the circumstances. But still, the whole thing read like some discounted dystopian novel that hadn’t sold well. His decisions just never could settle within his mind. They never made the most logical sense either. Was any of what he had done the right thing to do?

* * *

 

Avery tossed and turned in his bed, looking over the wooden floor of the Home Plate and scolding himself for letting the past continue to haunt him. How many nights had it been that he let himself grow restless at the thought of his decisions? At least two months had passed since the Institute had been destroyed, but, he still couldn’t sleep. The scene of his son staring at him from his bed, unable to do a thing as Avery tore down the very foundation he had built up over decades. The disgust and betrayal in his eyes as he realized that Avery’s mind was already made up and the despair in his voice as he said his goodbyes. It was all still so vivid, even after all the time that had passed.

Avery grabbed the Pip-Pad from the nightstand, checking the time to find it was just past 1:00 a.m. Scanning through the various screens, Avery looked for something to distract himself from what was running through his head. 

“Maybe some late night music will help calm my nerves,” Avery mumbled to himself, twisting the knob forward. At first, he didn’t catch the new entry on the screen as he absentmindedly scrolled to the Diamond City Radio station; it was only when he accidentally scrolled past and selected the new entry that broke Avery from his trance. 

“What if there was a place with all the zip of Nuka-Cola? Quench your thirst for adventure at Nu-ka-World!” blared through the Pip-Pad’s speaker. Startled, Avery frantically spun the volume wheel down. The advertisement continued on with a now hushed voice trying to portray a childish character. 

“Hiya, kids! Remember, Nuka-World is only open for a few more weeks in October! Come down and see me and Cappy one last time before buckling down for the winter. Don’t forget to bring your empty bottle of Nuka-Cola to get 15 dollars off at the gate! So hop aboard the Nuka-Express and come and see the whole Nuka family while you still can!

The Nuka-Express is accessible through the Nuka-World Transit Center. Parking fees will apply. Prices subject to change due to end of season. Nuka-World, Nuka-Express, and the Nuka-Cola characters are all registered trademarks of the Nuka-Cola Corporation.”

“What the… Goddamn, I never thought I’d hear that stupid ad again,” Avery thought. Slowly, he moved to sit up, his bare feet touching the cold, wooden floor. A fragment of his past, that forsaken corporate amusement park Nuka-World, still existed? Scratching his head, fingers tangling with the light blue-dyed curls on top, Avery turned to the map screen, scanning and trying to remember where the transit center was. “It was somewhere… over here, yeah?” 

Minutes later, standing from his bed Avery began to walk to the haphazardly built dresser he had thrown together when he moved in. He marked the position he thought was the transit center, putting the Pip-Pad down atop the dresser before rummaging through the various drawers. Avery threw on the best he had right now: a red t-shirt with just one small hole, a long sleeve shirt stained only slightly with what might be blood, and a pair of faded shorts that were at one point jeans. He grabbed the boots and socks that were placed by the door, tugging them on. His messenger bag dangled from the peg on the wall, various equipment from his last expedition still stowed away inside. 

“Medkit, check… Combat knife, check… A few explosives, check…” Avery listed off his supplies as he browsed through his bag. He looked at the table against the far wall that shelved his larger weapons, mentally going through what weaponry he might need. Avery didn’t know exactly why he was doing all of this. There was nothing to gain from going to Nuka-World, was there? He stood there for a moment, his hand placed over a rifle he had outfitted over the year, wondering what he was doing right now. He shook his head, hard, grabbing the rifle and slinging it over his shoulder. 

“I don’t need a reason to do something anymore… They’re not here anymore...” Avery assured himself, swallowing the past that had crept up into his throat. A year had gone by, hardships piled on top of each other almost every day since he had been out in the Commonwealth. And over that time, he had learned that following instinct was far stronger than reason in this new world. People only traded words when they couldn’t trade bullets. People only shared their thoughts and reasons when they couldn’t share the loot from your dead body. This world was all but nice and fair to those who wanted to reason with Death himself.

* * *

 

The night air of the market was cold as Avery stepped outside, the sound of the door locking echoing in the still air of the sleeping city. Shouldering his bag again, he walked towards the exit of the city, coughing loudly to get the attention of the sleeping guard at the controls. With the rumbling of the metal door rising, Avery slipped into the night, for what reason he still wasn’t sure other than instinct. 

Something was out there, wanting him to come and explore the past he thought had long vanished, and he intended to heed the call. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this idea in my head for less than 48 hours, so I jotted down character notes, plot outlines, and various scenes to be thrown into the plot somehow, and well here we are. Let's hope the show is worth the admission price.
> 
> The post schedule will be based on how far into development I am. I will try to keep at least 2 or 3 chapters ahead of what is posted to ensure that I do not get burned out writing a chapter a day (like I might have done in my previous fics whoopsie daisy). Depending on how far I get before the next update, and how much writing I feel is going to go into each chapter, I will decide on a bi-weekly or weekly post schedule.
> 
> Chapter One: Games of a Deadly Variety, will be posted May 10th.


	2. Chapter 1: Games of a Deadly Variety

The sun had barely begun to perch itself in the sky by the time Avery located the Nuka-Cola transit center. It was just like he remembered: the giant bottles, the now rusty red sign with the signature writing of Nuka-Cola, and the monstrosity they called mascots, Cappy and Bottle. Avery snorted at the originality of the names and wondered how many marketing agents it took to come up with them. As Avery walked farther into the station, partially occupied debating if it was one of thirty-one agents, the sounds of voices began to fill the morning air. Dropping to a crouch, Avery moved towards the sounds, catching only some of the words of what sounded like orders. 

“No one… until this place is secure! ...pick up the pace.” 

“Is someone else investigating the sudden signal?” Avery thought. Peeking around the corner, Avery confirmed his suspicions, counting several Gunners around the entrance of the Nuka-Express station. Although he couldn’t see an assaultron, the familiar sound of its movement was present somewhere nearby. Avery dug into his messenger bag, grabbing a prototype pulse grenade he had grabbed long ago from the Institute. Sneaking closer, sticking to the destroyed buses littered across the lot, Avery spotted the assaultron stalking about. Popping the pin of the grenade, he rolled it towards the robot before breaking into a crouched sprint to get some distance between the explosion and him. 

The sound of his hurried footsteps alerted the assaultron, turning to locate the noise shortly before the grenade exploded. From his spot, Avery watched as the machine loudly fell to the ground, its circuits fried from the electrical pulse. Soon after, the confused shouts of the Gunners rang out as the gunfight began. Between moving around the area, Avery took trained shots, taking down the Gunners one by one as they frantically tried to locate their opponent. 

After about 15 minutes of combat, Avery stepped out from his spot and began to move towards the station entrance, picking up whatever loot he could from the Gunners’ bodies along the way. As he did, he counted the bodies, ending on one less than he had originally when he discovered them. “That’s… not good, right?” Avery asked himself, looking around the lot before he caught the slight movement of a stealth boy cloak. 

The stealthed Gunner’s rifle butt connected with Avery’s jaw as he tried to raise his own, his gun falling to the ground as he was knocked down as well. Avery caught himself, however, and sprung in the general direction of the Gunner, barely catching their legs and toppling them to the ground with him. When the two hit the ground, the Gunner’s rifle bounced off the pavement, unstealthing, and the Gunner grabbed at Avery. Quickly grabbing the combat knife from the sheath on the outside of his bag, Avery stabbed forward, hoping to connect with flesh. The sick sound of skin being pierced and blood spurting outwards signaled the blade had hit its mark, the stealth boy starting to fizzle out. A woman with a military-style cut came into focus, the blade submerged in her jugular, blood seeping out of the wound. She gritted her teeth and tried to raise her hand to wrap around Avery’s, trying to pull the knife from her throat. In one motion, Avery twisted and yanked the knife to the left, forcefully cutting through muscle until it exited the side of the Gunner’s throat, her eyes widening before rolling back as she collapsed to the ground.

Avery dropped the knife, hand reaching up to feel his jaw, noticing it had already begun to swell. He checked his teeth with his tongue, noticing the taste of iron and some loose teeth. Nothing felt broken, however, which was a relief. Picking the knife back up, he wiped it on the dead Gunner’s shirt before sheathing it. Avery noticed a slip of paper peeking out between the Gunner’s shirt and armor. He pulled it out and opened it, glossing over the words.

Standing up, Avery looked towards the Nuka-Express station entrance. Apparently, the group was sent to investigate whether this is where some other group had disappeared. “What lies beyond that station?” Avery said to himself questioningly. Nuka-World was definitely not just an amusement park anymore, he gathered. There had to be something more to it than that if Gunners were going missing there.

But despite his instincts blaring their alarms, Avery picked up his rifle and walked towards the entrance of the station. Inside, the station had not escaped the destruction and chaos of the bombs; trash and ruin littered the ground. Against a pile of rubble was a man holding his side, a barrel fire illuminating the room and the train’s worn but decorative plating. 

“Hey, what’s your problem? Have you been hurt?” Avery asked, moving towards the man. The man looked up, his eyes strained but still giving Avery the look over. The man identified himself as Harvey and explained that he had escaped a group of raiders located up in Nuka-World. His family, however, had not been as lucky as he was, and he begged Avery to go and help them before they got hurt. 

“Do you need medical attention before I go? You’re holding your side like you’re hurt, Harvey,” Avery asked, beginning to grab his medkit from his bag. Harvey proclaimed his disagreement, saying that Avery shouldn’t waste his time on him but to save it for his family. Avery looked in confusion before asking what was really happening. Harvey said it was the truth and Avery harshly connected his foot with Harvey’s jaw. 

“Tell me the truth, Harvey. You don’t look or seem harmed for someone who escaped raiders, and I saw the lookover you gave me when I came in. What is going on here?” Avery questioned, his hand now grabbing Harvey’s chin tightly so they were staring into each other's eyes. Harvey nervously told Avery that he was bait to get people to go to Nuka-World for some sick torture game called “The Gauntlet” the raiders had set up for entertainment. He said that even if somehow someone survived the Gauntlet, they would die because it was all rigged for them to lose. 

“We’ll see about that Harvey. Now get out of here. Head up north to Concord and take the road northwest until you see a settlement with a bridge leading to it. Say you were sent there by Avery and show them the rifle. They’ll protect you if anyone comes looking for you.” Avery said, his instructions listed off as he handed Harvey a stimpack and his rifle. Harvey looked at him in awe, before nodding his head, giving Avery the Nuka-Express terminal password, and heading out the station with one last thank you.

For a short moment, Avery hoped Harvey would make it to Sanctuary. “I really don’t want to lose that rifle…” Avery said to himself as he located the control terminal, logging on and activating the power. The whirring of various machinery coming to life filled the stale air, the monorail beginning to announce its destination and to please board now.

“Let’s see what you have in store for me, Nuka-World.”

* * *

 

The Gauntlet was definitely a raider’s fucked-up wet dream. The first room was a gorefest of various unsuspecting victims having been torn apart by the many turrets strategically thrown about the room. With a bit of agility and quick, and possibly lucky, decision making, Avery cleared the room with nothing more than a scratch from landing wrong. There had been a raider analyzing Avery’s progress since the beginning, and he wasn’t too thrilled. But, this first room’s failure wasn’t enough to dissuade the insults and taunts that came from over the speakers.

Then came the countless traps. Tripwires, pressure plates, grenades on the ceiling, those weird monkey robots that clang cymbals together, anything that was possible to be made into a trap was made into one. It was slow working through all the traps, but as Avery made his way through the rooms, he began to taunt back at the announcer. “Is this really all you guys could come up with? Some tripwires and grenades?”

“Don’t think you’re hot shit just because you can survive for now. We’ll see how long that shit talking lasts when you get to the end.” 

“I’ll hold you to that! Don’t disappoint me, babe!” Avery said, his tone chastising the raider. He made his way through the traps before the Geiger counter on the Pip-Pad began to count off. 

“Hope you’ve got some Rad-X on you! Let’s see if our contestant can survive being cooked alive,” the raider chirped as Avery noticed the nuclear waste barrels at the end of the hall. Digging into his medkit, Avery pulled out a bottle labeled Rad-X, unscrewed the cap and popped three pills into his mouth. 

“These taste like shit, but it beats dying, I guess.”

Running through the hallway into the room, Avery could feel the radiation creeping into his skin. On one side of the room was a door and on the other what looked like a turn into an alcove. Avery took to the door, realizing it was locked but there was a keyhole. Pulling a bobby pin and screwdriver from his bag, Avery unlocked the door by force, pushing it open and sprinting through. The raider said some shitty taunt while Avery stood in the adjacent room, letting a RadAway drip into his system before continuing. 

“I’m getting a little bored here, ya know. When is this supposed to be fun?” Avery called out, opening the door to the next room. The announcer didn’t say anything as Avery continued down some stairs, noticing right away another one of those monkey noisemakers at the far edge of the room filled with turrets. “Can you guys get any more obvious with your traps?” Avery said as he began to steady his combat knife to throw across the room. The knife hit the animatronic right in the head, dislocating it completely with a clatter. The turrets stayed idle as Avery made his way across the room, grabbing his knife and finding a key behind where the monkey sat. 

The rest of the Gauntlet wasn’t all that interesting. Some fragment mines here, some weak planks forming a bridge over mirelurk-infested waters, and then radroaches in a room being filled with toxic gas. Avery had to give it to them, the gas chamber was a nice touch, but they should have really thought about the amount of gas they were pumping in beforehand. As Avery had put it, it was “pretty fucking weak and I barely got high.”

Past that was the “homestretch” as the announcer described it. “This is just a chain-link fence on a hallway structure and you’re shooting at me,” Avery shouted as he ran, avoiding bullets from the laughing raiders as best he could. “Did you run out of funds for the last part?”

It wasn’t until Avery stepped into the Cola-Cars arena that he understood what Harvey had meant. Most people definitely don’t know how to deal with people in power armor, especially ones hooked up to an electric grid that produces an electrostatic field around said power armor. The man in the suit of metal - Colter apparently, and Overboss at that- was hurling insult after insult at Avery from the bumper car arena. 

“Here’s a quick rundown of how this works. You go stock up, make yourself presentable, and then we’re gonna give these folks a show. A show where I decorate these walls here with your lovely brains. Got that?” Colter yelled at Avery, smugness practically dripping from his words.

“Oh, I’ll give everyone a show, alright, when we flip the script and it’s your brains on the wall. And then, maybe, I’ll enjoy some overpriced food and some rides here like a respectable customer of a corporate amusement park!” Avert replied back, the audience roaring with excitement from the exchange. The door next to Avery unlocked, a ramp leading down into a storage room and a connected locker room. Within, a southern-like voice came over an intercom on the wall. 

“All right, listen the hell up if you want to make it out of this alive. I’ve only got a minute.”

“Who is this?” Avery asked. The voice described how he needed to listen to them or else they weren’t making it out alive. 

“You want to win? I stashed a weapon in the lockers. Get it.”

“Yeah, that’s not vague at all, ya know? ‘In the lockers’ like there’s only one set of lockers in a locker room,” Avery grumbled as he began to search the room. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary until he came across…

“A fucking water gun? This is both the dumbest thing I’ve ever had to think of as a weapon and also the most genius weapon I’ve had the pleasure of using.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know what it looks like. You’re just going to have to trust me.”

“Oh, I do. The water gun is to short-circuit the electrical grid, causing the power armor to just be regular power armor. Pretty smart shit for a raider.” There was silence from the intercom before a slow sigh came through.

“We’re not all stupid savages. Now get out there and take him out. I promise you, it’ll be worth every minute spent in this Gauntlet,” the voice said, “ All right, it’s time. I’ll open the door. See you on the other side.”

As Avery stood there, water gun in hand, he considered that this was not at all what he expected when he got here. Here he was, about to literally go fight a raider boss with a water gun. Deacon was going to laugh his goddamn ass off when he heard about this, and honestly, that filled Avery with purpose. 

“Time to get this guy wet, and not even in the good way.”

* * *

 

Colter talked a big game, but outside of the elaborate mechanical feat that was hooking up power armor to an electrical grid, he was still just a raider, still human with fleshy bits and chinks in his armor. Avery knew about this one spot between the chest plate and the arm that was just the right size for a grenade. Why did he know that? A Brotherhood Knight he slept with had had a prank played on him by a fellow Knight who shoved a dud into his armor. It led to some pretty good angry, rough sex, but that wasn’t the point to be remembering right now.

After raising the water gun at Colter, he just laughed while Avery squirted him with water. The audience laughed alongside him, but it was no longer shits and giggles when the electricity to the power armor went out. Without time to react properly, Avery pushed one grenade in between Colter’s plating before running behind a nearby bumper car. The explosion that followed was disgustingly satisfactory as the armor exploded from the inside, blood, metal, and gore flying through the air and landing with sickening splats and clanks. Some of the audience erupted into roars while some yelled in confusion and disbelief. A water gun and a grenade were all it took to fell Colter, the undefeated champion of Cola-Cars Arena.

“Colter’s dead, we got a new Overboss,” the same voice from the intercom declared over the speaker system. 

“A new what now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week will feature a double-posting since the chapter had to get cut in two due to word count. 
> 
> Chapter 2: Abnormal Formalities of Blood will be posted May 17th and Chapter 3: Abnormal Formalities of Robbers and Beasts will be posted May 20th.


	3. Chapter 2: Abnormal Formalities of Blood

After having killed Colter, the mixture of reactions from the audience about the new Overboss, and what the man behind the glass was saying, Avery wasn’t sure what to feel or say. All he could do was watch as the man spoke to the crowd as they, for the most part, questioned what the hell was going on. He was tall - taller than Avery, who was only five-foot-seven- at least six-foot-two and gruff looking. He wore a hazardly mess of yellow metal plating and bars as a chest piece and a matching metal eyepatch over his right eye. His hair, a neutral brown, was greasily formed into a mohawk, the sides shaved closely down.

“You better know what the hell you’re doing,” a gruff woman’s voice said through the audience’s chatter.

“He survived the Gauntlet. He was smart enough to take my advice and strong enough to kill Colter. Why don’t you show some respect for our new leader, eh?” the man behind the glass said.

“He’ll get respect when he earns respect,” a different female said, followed shortly by an “Amen” by a male.

“All right, all right. Now, get the hell out of here. I’ll show the boss around,” the man instructed, the crowd starting to thin out. From the viewing area, Avery could see four figures who stood out: a large, burly man with what looked like face paint, a woman in a distinct mask with several points, and a woman and a man standing close by to each other. Their presence felt stronger than the other raiders behind the glass, and Avery wasn’t sure what to comprehend from that . Was he going to have to deal with those powerhouses at some point? How and when, he wasn’t sure, but it wouldn’t be pretty.

“What’d I tell ya? Worked like a charm,” the man from the intercom said to Avery, grabbing his attention away from the four raiders, now moving to leave the arena. Avery shrugged in response before speaking.

“That was nothing. I’ve had tougher challenges, ya know,” Avery replied, scratching the shaved downside of his head. The man looked at him with his one eye, squinting at Avery’s cocky tone.

“Bullshit. Without me, I’d be scraping your guts off the floor,” the man replied. “Now, I’m sure ya got a lot of questions, but this ain’t the place. Meet me at the restaurant on top of good old Fizztop Mountain. We can talk there.”

The door next to the man opened, and Avery made his way through, giving the man a glance from head to toe. “Ya know, I’m not too keen on this whole raider business, but I guess you’re gonna convince me otherwise,” Avery said, his tone light. “I mean, if it’s anything like what just happened, I’ll get bored.”

“You can’t leave if you tried. You might think you’re not involved, but you are now. You killed Colter, and that means there’s a vacancy in the Overboss position,” the man began.

“Why don’t you just take the position then, Mr… I never actually caught your name…” Avery said, cutting the man off. “You seemed interested in having Colter dead, why not usurp him instead of an outsider like me?”

“Gage. Porter Gage. Leading ain’t my style; I’m better off helping from the side. Anyways, like I said, we can talk at Fizztop Mountain, alright?” Gage said, turning towards the doors at the end of the ramp.

“Oh alright then, have it your way, Gage. I’ll meet you there once I take in the scenery a bit,” Avery said with a bright, pre-war smile. The man, Gage, looked back and was slightly shocked at the sanctity of Avery’s teeth; it was a rare occurrence for anyone to have all their teeth, let alone white teeth. Avery laughed at the small exchange and skipped in front of Gage, Avery’s hands clasped behind his back.

Outside, the smell of blood, decay, and unwashed bodies was almost permeable. Avery’s face scrunched up in protest to the pungent air but relaxed quickly. “I can’t look weak. I can’t look like I don’t belong,” he thought to himself, dropping his expression into a scowl, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. His posture went from playful to serious as his back straightened and his hands tightened around each other behind his back.

As Avery walked the street, he noticed the stares and murmurs of the raiders of varying attire. He could discern three different styles of dress: neon animal, leather and masks, and what could pass as formal attire. Avery passed the “market” as the painted wood stuck to the wall stated, watching as a raider harassed a woman in a slave collar. As he passed, his hands tightened even more and his urge to strike the raider rose, but, Avery calmed himself. He couldn’t start problems in the first hour, he would just be killed for trying to impose himself too early. Avery would need to earn their respect as that woman had said in the arena before he does anything.

After a few moments, passing an arcade and the once notorious Cappy’s Cafe, Avery arrived in the plaza. The memories of the sparkling water, the fountain just to the left spewing into the air as children ran about and their parents exhaustedly sighed, all came to fruition. This scene now, however, was nothing like that. The water was murky, filled with algae and trash, and even a few raiders waddling about searching the brown-tinted water. The fountain was partially destroyed and no longer functional, and all around the plaza evidence of morally questionable acts were apparent. This place was truly not at all what it used to be, but was it worse?

Nuka-World, as Avery remembered, had been filled with controversy about the ethical practices of the park. Waiving your rights at the admissions both, some rides even declaring you might be harmed, the medical assist only available if the victim could speak. It was all a huge convoluted scheme to cut loses, even if that meant losing lives in the process. Now? It was a massive raider camp. There wasn’t anything going on in the shadows, raiders didn’t like that sort of thing, and instead, all the misfortune and terror was upfront.

Fizztop Mountain was just in front of Avery now, his mullings distracting him from noticing his walk around the plaza’s waterfront. There stood a lift, its ropes extending upwards towards the top of the structure with a platform of assorted wood resting on the ground. Avery took two wary steps onto the platform and pushed the button, the lift shaking as it ascended. The lift stopped abruptly as it reached its destination, sending Avery lurching forward into the Fizztop Grille. Gage stood from the oblong bar he sat at as Avery fell, catching him.

“Ah! Gage! Holy shit, get someone to fix that hazard you call a lift!” Avery said, his tone part frightened and part angry. “If I die to a fucking lift malfunction, I will personally end you all from the afterlife.” Gage simply laughed at Avery’s words, steadying him before letting go and sitting back down at the bar.

“So, Boss, besides how you feel about the lift, what do you think of the place, the ‘scenery?’ I hope it’s all to your liking, eh, but there are a few things you’ll need to know about it first,” Gage said, his eye showing his intentions of pressing the conversation his way. Avery sat down on a stool next to Gage, swiping a bottle of purple Nuka-Cola and popping the bottle cap. Gage watched him as he took his first sip, his brows raised.

“Proceed, Gage. I’d like to know what I’m doing here, exactly,” Avery said, his tone flat.

“Ah, yes Boss. As I was saying, the park has a few unique things going on. There are three packs of raiders in these walls, all ready to just about murder each other because of Colter’s ineptitude; I hope that you noticed that, Boss?” Avery nodded his head in answer to Gage’s question. “Good, you’re not oblivious,” Gage said, his hand lightly slapping the bartop.

“I don’t take kindly to insults, Gage, whether indirect or direct,” Avery said before taking another swig of the hot, grape-flavored soda. His eyes stared into Gage’s eye until Gage looked out over the plaza. Avery scoffed at the submissive action.

“Well, sorry Boss. I didn’t mean anything by it. I just got to be skeptical and all…”

“Skeptical, Gage? Of what, do tell me in detail,” Avery inserted, placing the bottle down and standing above Gage, the difference in height causing Gage to look up.

“It’s just that… ya know, Boss, you said back there yourself. You’re not too keen on this raider business; you don’t fit the look of a raider at all! I’m surprised ya didn’t just run off as soon as you were out of my sight!” Gage said, his voice rising in volume at points, but otherwise held a firm tone. “I can’t have another blunder like Colter happen, else I’ll be dead.”

Avery stared at Gage for a moment before turning, tightly grabbing the now mostly empty bottle of Nuka-Cola and smashing it against the countertop. With the glass scattering across the floor and bar, Avery turned to Gage with an indiscernible face. “Gage, you’ve got five minutes to tell me what I need to know. I don’t want another fucking word about the blunders you’ve had before. You want someone competent? You’ve got that someone. And if I hear another goddamn backhand comment,” Avery said as he grabbed Gage by the collar, which was quite difficult due to the armor Gage wore but Avery did not falter, “I won’t hesitate to end this all.”

Gage gulped and silently nodded. Avery let go of his collar before sitting down again. Gage looked at the floor for a moment before recomposing himself and meeting Avery’s gaze. “Alright, Boss, here’s what there’s to know…”

* * *

 

After talking with Gage - the five-minute threat had really turned him into an info dump- Avery made his way down on the lift, his hands gripping the railing. Gage had more or less directed him to meet with the leaders of each raider gang: the Disciples, the Operators, and the Pack. The Disciples were the closest, residing in what used to be Fizztop Mountain, so Avery decided that they would be the first to talk with.

Avery hadn’t noticed the smell of blood and obvious death that surrounded the lift when he first came through. “Holy fuck,” he said under his breath as the lift finally rested on the ground. Just next to the lift were two troughs of what looked to be filled entirely with blood. Gage had said that the Disciples were bloodthirsty, crazy sons-of-bitches but Avery didn’t think he meant it to the tee. As Avery walked towards the entrance of Fizztop Mountain, the gore only got more and more grotesque and horrifyingly bountiful. How many bodies were a part of these displays? “This sure is a first impression,” Avery muttered dejectedly.

The entrance was guarded by two raiders, their leather armor and masks covering a majority of their bodies. The raider at the door looked Avery over, still in the attire he had worn when he fought Colter - a t-shirt, a long sleeve, shorts, and his messenger bag- and asked what the hell he thought he was doing. Avery simply looked forward at the raider, and they stared back going on about who he thought he was looking at and whether he should be at the market trying to make them caps. It wasn’t until the other raider realized who Avery was that the raider quieted down, excusing herself for not recognizing the Overboss. Avery smiled at her, saying it wasn’t that big of a deal.

But, it was a big deal. Avery grabbed the raider by her arm and flipped her over his shoulder, slamming her into the ground, the raider gasping as the air was knocked of her. Avery placed his boot against her chest and pressed down, not letting her breathe in again easily. “Let this be your one warning, shitstain. Don’t talk about me in that tone ever again, understood?” Avery said, his smile not lifting from his face. The raider nodded frantically and Avery released his foot from her chest, air sucking in as he did. “Good! And you,” Avery said as he pointed at the other raider, “You saw nothing. Mhm?” The other raider shook his head in agreement, and Avery entered into Fizztop Mountain.

Avery stepped into the building, the smell of blood even more rancid than outside, unto the scene of the woman in the mask from behind the arena glass talking with two other masked individuals. They stood next to pikes adorned with bodies mangled in anguish, blood still dripping down as if they were freshly skewed. However, it seemed they were wrapping up their conversation as Avery approached, catching only “Make sure the others get the message.”

“I hope that that message includes not to insult the Overboss,” Avery exclaimed, his voice overly piercing to the damp air. The masked woman looked to him, her stance shifting slightly to be more assertive. Avery, in turn, stood straight with one foot back, his right hand on the sheath of the knife on his bag.

“So, you’re Gage’s little pet project,” the woman said, her tone uninterested.

“Pet project? I just told you not to insult me and yet, here we are,” Avery said, his tone no longer as exuberant as before. “I just got finished teaching your lackeys outside this lesson; I sure hope I don’t have to teach it to you as well, Nisha.”

Nisha didn’t seem phased by Avery speaking her name and scoffed lightly. “I will not have respect for you until you can show us results. Gage is a failure, but we’re giving him a second chance with you,” she said, her tone pointed like a sharpened blade.

“What a shame, Nisha. I was looking forward to gaining your respect by the time I walked out of here just by chit-chatting, but I guess that’s not possible,” Avery began, his tone mildly excited. “But I do want to ask you something… How about few knife fights? Best two out of three?”

Nisha stared at Avery, or what he assumed was staring since her eyes were completely covered, before drawing a knife from her backside. It was a finely made blade, curved like a cutlass. “If you had a death wish you should have just asked,” she said, her tone now noticeably more enthusiastic.

“The first one to cause their opponent to submit or lands three hits wins the round. Fair?” Avery said, his eyebrows raised at Nisha, watching as she settled into a fighter’s stance. She nodded her head in agreement before lunging at Avery. Avery, taken aback, barely reacted as Nisha landed one cut on his arm, missing his chest. “Fighting dirty… Nothing less than expected of a raider boss!”

The two traded back and forth, Nisha landing a second hit before Avery ever landed his first. Avery watched Nisha’s movements as they danced around the area, a small gathering of Disciples beginning to form as they fought. As Nisha went for another strike, Avery jumped back and raised his hands in defeat, indicating that he submitted for the round. The raiders yelled out in cheers while some booed at the surrender. Avery readied himself this time, “Round two, Nisha. Let’s play fair this time.”

“There is no fairness in this world anymore!” Nisha exclaimed as she moved to attack again, Avery sidestepping her and sweeping her legs out from under her. Nisha fell hard against the ground, Avery jumping on top of her as he raised her head and brought the knife blade to her throat.

“Submit to me, Nisha,” Avery whispered to her. Nisha tried to bring her knife up to Avery’s face but he pressed the blade into her throat, the words of surrender coming from her mouth as the blood began to trickle out. Avery dismounted her, offering his free hand to help her up. Nisha refused and stood, walking back a few steps before preparing for the final round. The raiders had quieted down at the suddenness of Avery’s victory. The tension in the air was thick as Avery signalled for the final round to begin, both him and Nisha lunging forward to fight.

Avery won, three to zero hits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't... remember how much I proofread this. I've been stuck on another chapter and I can't remember the last chance I had to look this one over. I apologize for any mistakes of if it feels incomplete. 
> 
> Chapter 3: Abnormal Formalities of Robbers and Beasts will be posted Sunday, May 20th.


	4. Chapter 3: Abnormal Formalities of Robbers and Beasts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> May 21: Minor detail and grammar changes

Walking out of Fizztop Mountain felt strange to Avery. For one, he had just fought with a raider boss, but not in a deadly sense, but a sort of… competitive, even dare say playful sense? He and Nisha hadn’t been fighting because they wanted to kill each other - although, Nisha might have wanted to, but Avery didn’t any intentions to- but they were fighting for respect.

She was a fairly skilled fighter, likely honed by years of living in the wastes and struggling for survival, but she was still rough around the edges. Avery noticed the finesse in her style that was missing accuracy, a little too much reliance on hoping her opponent would blunder than being able to capitalize on her opponent’s weaknesses. Before leaving, he had shown her a few things that he had learned from his past experiences, and she had received them well. Despite her tone, Nisha had seemed appreciative of Avery’s advice.

Walking out of the plaza in the direction of the Parlor. The Operators were next on the list for the rounds and, from Gage’s explanation, they sounded like the most level-headed of the three gangs. Their objective was clear: make a shitload of caps and do drugs or something. Compared to the Disciples and the Pack, the Operators sounded like a walk in the park for convincing to play nice with Avery.

The Parlor was more or less what it had been before the war, its structure and neon sign still intact but now adorned with the banners of a raider gang. Outside stood one guard with a dirty pinstripe suit underneath typical raider armor, his hair greased back. The man acknowledged Avery and moved to open the door, waving his hand inwards. “Enjoy your stay, Overboss,” he said, his tone strangely chirper for a raider but Avery paid little mind.

Inside, the aroma of strong booze and probably toxic chemicals filled the air. The raiders inside motioned Avery into the next room, their mannerisms overly accentuated. A large mostly dilapidated dining table took up the room, a theatre stage at the far end. Avery noticed two raiders by the stage, discussing something, and soon realized who they were. Their presence radiated similarly to back in the arena after Colter’s death, but now it was tamer, more withdrawn. The woman turned to Avery, her face expressing nothing, and the man next to her turned as well, and there the feeling of power was again in full force. His face showed nothing as well, but Avery could tell from even where he stood that they were related.

“Mags. William,” Avery began, taking strides across the room to close the distance between them. “Your gang has done such a lovely job with inviting me into your fine establishment!” The two simply stared at him, their faces as stoic as when he walked in.

“We owe you for putting down Colter,” Mags said.

“Man was an idiot. Made us all look bad,” William added.

“A clown, stuck in his own little car. I guess we can take solace in the fact that someone finally gave him what he deserved. What did you feel as you did it?” Mags asked, her tone flat but somehow filled with curiosity.

Avery stood there for a moment, trying to find the right words to describe the feeling. Honestly, he hadn’t thought about how it felt to have killed Colter the way he did; it all just sort of happened in a blur. “Truthfully, I just wanted to know if I could actually fit a grenade in between the power armor plating. And hey, it worked!” Avery said, smiling at the two of them. They didn’t smile back.

“Hmm, not as interesting as I thought it would feel, but nonetheless. You’re the new Overboss, and we can only hope you will work out better than Colter did,” Mags said, looking Avery over with still no expression. “You’ll come to understand that we are the only gang worth backing around here.”

“From how things have been going so far, you’re probably right,” Avery remarked, his voice falling away as he finished. Mags raised an eyebrow and William looked to Mags. The two exchanged stares before turning back to Avery. “Although, if you don’t mind me asking, there isn’t some weird telepathy thing going on between the two of you, is there?”

The two actually laughed at that, albeit it wasn’t a very long or loud laugh but they actually showed a sense of emotion for the first time since Avery had arrived. “No, Overboss, we do not,” Mags said, her face becoming neutral again.

“We’ve been through everything since the beginning, as siblings and all. We know each other very well,” William said, a small smile still on his lips.

“Ah, just making sure. It might have come in handy if you two did though, but I won’t complain,” Avery replied, his tone cheerful and matching the smile he had. “But, I do have to know why you believe I should back your gang,” Avery said, his face dropping into a flat expression. “I intend to get things done and I need reliability and respect from those around me.”

“If that’s the case, we’d like some assurances that you’re going to bring this place back to its true purpose: robbing folks of their fucking money,” Mags said, her tone sharpening.

“I’m mostly here for the rides and soda. I said that back in the arena, but I suppose caps are a good thing to focus on too now that you say it. I’ll consider your requests,” Avery said part jokingly. William muttered something under his breath and Mags reprimanded him swiftly, turning back to Avery.

“Of course, Overboss. We hope you’ll make the right decisions sooner rather than later.”

* * *

 

Avery left the Parlor feeling content. Mags and William were the easiest gang so far Avery could connect to. Nisha’s rule of simply keeping the peace and not getting caught didn’t sit well on his shoulders, but the Operators just wanted to make a living. Although that living did entail scamming, robbing, extortion, and the like, there was an apparent lack of murder and torture. Avery wasn’t keen on killing or hurting people for sport - which, the Disciples did- but smooth-talking them out of their money? However you needed to survive in this world was fine in Avery’s book.

Walking back to the market, Avery began to spot the neon eyesores that were the Pack. One leaned against the market’s walling, a bat next to her. “You,” Avery said, his tone commanding and finger pointing at the raider, “give me that bat of yours.” The raider looked at Avery, her bird mask hiding her facial expression. She grabbed the bat and threw it to Avery, mentioning that he could have it, Overboss and all. Avery guided his hands over the bat, the smooth aluminium metal just slightly cold to the touch.

The Pack resided in the ruins of the Bradberton Amphitheater, the open areas filled with cages holding various animals and slaves. Upon entering, besides the overpowering smell of shit and sweat, Avery noticed the cage housing several slaves and Pack members poking and prodding them from outside, all while hurling insults. Avery approached the cage, looking in and being met with the looks of broken men and women.

“What ends up happening to these people?” Avery asked the raiders around the cage. One raider stopped their pestering and turned their head to Avery, a helmet with antlers adorning it.

“We usually work ‘em until they can’t work anymore. Then we see if they can survive against our beasts,” the raider said, his voice growing excited at the mention of their beasts. “It’s always such a sight to watch one of our own tear the flesh from -”

“That’s all. Thanks for the information,” Avery interjected, moving to go farther into the amphitheatre. The sight of those entrapped and the knowledge of their fates was too much for Avery to handle reasonably. He promised himself he’d do something to change it all and set them free.

In the middle of the amphitheatre was another large cage, two mangled mutts going at each other's throats while raiders cheered on from the sides. Avery watched for a moment before feeling a strong shiver come over him. It felt as though someone was staring him down and through his soul from nearby. Looking about, Avery noticed a well-built man sitting beyond the cage, a throne raised well above the ground by the amphitheatre staging underneath him. His eyes beckoned Avery to him, his face painted with bright colors of blues, greens, and reds.

Avery approached the man, his red hair coming into focus against the face paint. He wore a light blue stained tank top and furry red-pink pants, a necklace of what looked to be human bones loosely wrapping around his neck. The man stood, towering over Avery from his position; he had to have already been at least six feet tall but the height advantage was even greater due to the staging.

“Now that I get a closer look at you... Not sure I’m buying this new Overboss thing,” the man said, his voice confirming that he looked down on Avery both literally and figuratively. “Name’s Mason. The Pack’s Alpha.”

“Step down from that height, Mason. I don’t like having to look up when I’m talking to someone,” Avery said, planting the bat he still held into the ground before lightly leaning on it. Avery had made the request staring more or less into Mason’s abdomen, not making an effort to meet Mason’s gaze. Mason laughed at the request, however, and didn’t move.

“Don’t think so, Boss,” Mason replied, his tone beginning to turn defiant. “You’ll have to knock me down from here if that’s what you want.”

Avery stood up straight, grabbing the bat tightly in his hand. “That’s not the answer I wanted, Mason,” Avery said low and jaded. With speed, Avery swung the bat above and behind him, ready to strike, before connecting it roughly with the side of Mason’s left knee. The sound of the metal bat rang out through the noisy amphitheatre, the air growing quiet except for Mason’s vulgar swearing.

Avery grabbed Mason’s face, Mason now kneeling before him and clutching his knee, and forced him to meet Avery’s gaze. “Next time I ask for something,” Avery started, his words articulated harshly, “you will do it, Mason. I don’t care that you’re the Alpha of these goddamn animal-dressing fuckers. I am the Omega here, I am the Overboss. Is that understood, Mason?”

Mason glared at Avery, his hand tightening into a fist before relaxing. “Understood, Overboss,” Mason replied through gritted teeth.

“Good, now sit and let me see your knee,” Avery said calmly, letting go of Mason’s face. Avery turned to the raiders behind him, many who had stopped and been staring in disbelief at the scene, and gently threw the bat in their direction. “Make sure that gets back to the bird mask I took that from. Tell her it made a mess of Mason’s knee for me. And stop fucking staring.” The nearest raider grabbed the bat and nodded, turning to run off to find the bat’s owner. The rest began to go back to their usual business, a few not-so-quietly discussing what had just happened.

Mason had moved to sit and try and stretch his leg out but had been unable to. Avery dug out his medkit from the messenger bag, unzipping it and producing a small plastic jar filled with cream. He rolled Mason’s pant leg up above the knee, looking over the swelling and discoloration. “How bad does it hurt?”

“Pretty fucking bad. You hit it like you meant it,” Mason said, the pain he was in evident by his voice. His gaze was down at his knee, but Avery could see the anger in his eyes. Avery opened the jar and dipped two fingers in, gathering a reasonable glob of the thick paste before lightly spreading it on Mason’s knee. “What is that stuff?”

“It’s a homemade paste that acts similarly to a stimpack. It’s better for bruises and swelling than wounds, though,” Avery said, his eyes looking down at his hands as he worked the paste in. “It’s not broken, surprisingly. Usually aluminium bats will break bones, but I guess with all this muscle it padded a lot of the blunt force.” Although it wasn’t his intention, Avery had noticed the definition of Mason’s muscles. His large calves bled into thighs that rivalled that of men Avery had known back in the military. It had been a long time since Avery had seen muscles of this definition, let alone touched them in the slightest.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Mason said, a small, but still angry, laugh exiting his lips. “But I don’t get why you’re doing all this, Boss.”

“I demand your respect, but I’m not going to beat you into submission for it. I knew I would need to show you I wasn’t scared to get a small part of your respect,” Avery said, meeting Mason’s stare for the first time again. His eyes were a hazel color, and his torso was much broader up close than from afar. His skin was lightly touched by the sun, or maybe it was just the filth and grime that made his skin seem as dark as it was. He was an attractive man — Avery shook his head; he wasn’t supposed to be thinking about these kinds of things. “Now, your knee should heal nicely as long as you don’t stand on it too much or get another bat to it. Are your people going to cause me problems since I threw a hit at you, Mason?”

“The Pack does what I tell them. You don’t get in my way - or swing a bat at me again- they won’t get in yours,” Mason replied, his tone now softer. “You’re the boss, for now.”

“And what does that mean? Are you looking to run this place?”

“If the other gangs would go along, yeah, I’d run this place in a heartbeat. Might have to, if you pull some shit like that again,” Mason said, his voice returning to the smugness it had before. His eyes had a certain fire in them that showed self-confidence or an inflated ego, Avery wasn’t entirely sure. He stood up, and Avery followed suit, but this time Mason made sure to be on equal ground. “You can’t be any worse than Colter. I hope you’ll do right by the Pack.”

* * *

 

As the sun set, Avery had made his way back to the Fizztop Grille. Inside, Gage sat in one of the many booths of the place, tinkering with a rifle. Avery slid into the opposite side, Gage barely looking up from his rifle as he asked how everything had gone today. As Avery went on about the happenings of his first day as Overboss, the tinkering came to a painfully obvious stop.

“You did WHAT?!” Gage exclaimed as Avery finished filling him in on the details, his fist slamming into the countertop of the table. “I leave you alone on your first day and you pick a fight with two of the gang bosses!”

“Calm down, Gage. None of them resent me for it, at least not outwardly. Hell, I think I got more respect out of showing up Nisha and Mason than I did talking with Mags and William,” Avery said, taking a swig of a stray Nuka-Cola he had found. “And I can handle myself, I don’t need babysitting.”

“It’s not that you need babysitting, Boss, it’s that you could have been killed day one! Then what would I do with two dead Overbosses and no one to lead,” Gage said, his voice concerned, but for which one of them Avery wasn’t sure.

“Then you’d have to get your hands dirty, Gage. If I was dead I’d be absolved from this situation.” Avery wasn’t interested in the conversation, let alone Gage seemingly being more concerned with his own safety than Avery’s. But then again, he was still a raider, just one that was a whole lot smarter.

“Like hell you would, Boss.”

“Gage, get out of here if all you’re going to do is reprimand me for things I did,” Avery said, putting the bottle down. Gage looked at Avery with somewhat of a confused look, but shook his head and shrugged before getting up from his seat, scooping up the rifle that was more or less put together.

“If that’s what you want, Boss, so be it. I’ll see you in the morning to discuss our plans,” Gage said over his shoulder, giving a small nod as he pushed the button to summon the lift. However, the lift had already arrived and off stepped Mason. “What are you doing here, Mason?” Gage questioned.

“I just wanted to chat a bit with the Overboss before he retired for the night. Is that a problem, Gage?” Mason answered back, his tone patronizing. Gage stared at Mason for a few moments before scoffing, walking onto the lift and pushing the button.

“See ya tomorrow, Boss,” Gage said as he descended. Avery looked at Mason from his seat at the booth. Mason had removed the skeleton necklace and he was standing slightly more on his right leg than his left. His face paint had been cleaned off as well.

“Knee still hurting?” Avery asked, turning in the booth towards Mason. Mason had approached him and now stood by the booth’s side, the lantern lights of the grille barely illuminating Mason’s grand stature.

“Just a bit, but you don’t have to worry about it, Boss. You’ve got bigger things to worry about right now,” Mason said, his voice a low, primal growl almost. Avery raised his eyebrow questioningly at the tone of Mason’s voice before Mason’s hand grabbed him by the throat.

“You’ve got me to worry about right now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4: Primal Encounter will be posted May 27th. After that, I will be gone for two weeks on vacation. I will try my best to get some work in during downtime so I can come back with a better headstart on keeping ahead of postings. 
> 
> Chapter 5: Among Stars and Killer Robots will probably be posted June 14th.


	5. Chapter 4: Primal Encounter

“You’ve got me to worry about right now,” Mason growled, his breath hot against Avery’s ear. The hand around Avery’s neck was tight, Mason’s meaty fingers easily wrapping around it entirely. Avery grabbed Mason’s hand, trying to pry it away from his neck but to no avail. Mason stared into Avery’s eyes as Avery struggled, his face enraptured at the scene before him. “Not so tough now are we, Boss.”

“You…” Avery croaked, realizing the grip on his throat was looser than he thought, “have to grab harder than that if you want me to choke!” Despite being able to talk and breathe, it was still difficult to get air in and out. Mason wasn’t seemingly looking to kill him, otherwise, he would have done it already; he could have easily snapped Avery’s neck if he wanted to in this position. Mason was playing with his prey, the small fire in his eyes dancing playfully at what was lain before him. Avery picked his leg up from beneath the booth and kicked out towards Mason. Mason pushed himself into the booth and grabbed Avery’s leg, pinning it to the booth’s backing.

“I thought you didn’t want to beat me into submission?” Mason purred, his voice full of delight from being in control of the situation. His whole weight was now pressed on top of Avery, Avery arms trapped between their bodies. “What you did back there was ballsy, Boss. I can’t let you get away without a little punishment.” His face was inches away from Avery’s, his hazel eyes scanning over the delicate features of Avery’s face. A primal look came over Mason’s face as his tongue flicked over his lips. “God, you look so good under me, Boss. The Omega under the Alpha...” 

Mason’s hand moved from Avery’s throat to his chin, tightly holding Avery in place as Mason roughly connected their lips together. His facial hair tickled Avery’s face, the sensation a harsh contrast to the forcefulness of the situation. Without hesitation, Mason pushed his tongue into Avery’s mouth, exploring the inside with animalistic vigor. Avery gasped into Mason’s mouth, heartbeat quickening as Mason glided his other hand along Avery’s thigh. Mason broke the kiss, a wet smacking sound breaking the air as Avery breathed in hard. His face curled into a smug smirk as he guided his hand farther up onto Avery’s body. “You like this, Boss? Never would have guessed,” Mason said, sarcasm filling his words as Avery closed his eyes. Avery wasn’t proud of how his body was reacting to the stimulation of being touched in ways he hadn’t experienced in months. 

Avery headbutted Mason, the recoil sending a spike of pain through his entire head. Mason’s hand let go of Avery’s chin as it went to survey the damage from the impact. With Mason stunned, Avery pushed him off, scrambling to get onto his feet as Mason stumbled backwards into the bar behind him. Avery grabbed Mason by the collar of his tank top, watching as Mason’s eyes tried to focus on Avery’s.

“If you think you can have your way with me, Mason,” Avery said, his heart and breathing pounding away, “you’ve got another goddamn thing coming.” Avery kissed Mason with a fierceness that had been locked away for months, the desperation for contact like this flooding over his body. Mason, despite his dizziness, pushed into the kiss, his tongue seeking to venture into Avery’s mouth again. This time, Avery fought back, their tongues flicking over each other in a battle for dominance. Mason growled into Avery as Avery moved his hands from their hold on Mason’s collar to his chest, slowly rubbing circles into Mason’s defined chest.

For a moment, Mason pulled away, looking into Avery’s brown eyes before lifting him up into his arms. Avery, taking no quarter, closed the distance between Mason and him again, wrapping his arms around Mason’s neck. Mason laughed lowly, moving from the bar to begin walking towards the bed located at the side of the room.

“Not this one,” Avery said between a breath, “the one inside. “ Avery could feel Mason smile as he changed his direction, bumping into the door as he pushed it open with his hip. Gage had given Avery a quick tour of the inside room Colter had furnished, and Avery had questioned why the larger bed was outside. 

“Colter wanted people to hear him, I think,” was Gage’s response. Despite how Avery had gotten a little hot at the idea of such vulgar voyeurism, he didn’t want the entire park to know of his sex life. He was confident about himself, but not that confident to put it so blatantly on display. If he had been just a bit more sexually desperate, however, he would have fucked Mason right there on the bar.

Being thrown on to the bed broke Avery from his thoughts about bed placement, Mason coming back into focus as he removed his tank top and threw it aside. His chest now bare, Avery could see the light dusting of red hair across Mason’s pecs, and a more prominent trail flowing down his abdomen. “Fuck,” Avery muttered.

“Like what you see?” Mason said, his voice low and rumbling as he leaned over Avery, his breath ghosting over Avery’s neck. His teeth sunk into the tender flesh, a small moan escaping in response. He kissed the spot lightly before moving to capture Avery’s lips again, this time biting the bottom lip. His hands pulled at Avery’s sleeves, beckoning him to remove the shirt to which he complied. Without waiting, Mason roughly pulled Avery’s shirt over his head and moved his mouth to tease at one of Avery’s nipples. 

“Holy shit!” Avery said, his voice not hiding the pleasure he was experiencing. Mason trailed down Avery’s chest with his tongue before stopping slightly above his abdomen. He pushed Avery over onto his back before taking his shorts and underwear in both hands and gliding them down his legs. Avery’s half-erect cock fell against his stomach having been released from the cloth that had constrained it. Mason finished pulling off Avery’s boots and pants, tossing them against the wall, and in one fluid motion dropped his own pants and kicked them off. 

Mason stood before Avery, naked as an animal, with a look that was far from human. His uncircumcised dick was fully erect, pulsing lightly. He knelt before the bed, lifting Avery’s legs to rest on his shoulders and teasingly grabbing Avery’s ass in his hand. Mason spit into other his hand, giving himself a few pumps of his dick while he ran his thumb over Avery’s asshole. Avery shivered at the rough, abrasive contact. Fuck, when was the last time he had been laid? He couldn’t answer that question as Mason stuck two fingers into his mouth, Avery gently sucking them after a moment. 

“Damn, you look so good doing that,” Mason moaned as he watched Avery nurse his large, callused fingers. After at least a minute, Mason pulled his fingers back and rubbed one against Avery’s hole, lightly pushing in. Despite the months of being sexually inactive, Mason’s finger glided into Avery with relative ease. Mason gave a few exploratory thrusts before fully pulling out, his other finger soon also pushing into Avery. Avery could feel himself accept Mason’s digits, their rough touch prodding his wall and eliciting moans from him. 

Eventually, Mason pulled his fingers out of Avery, leaving an empty feeling in him. But that feeling didn’t last as Mason slapped his cock against Avery’s entrance, the sound breaking the air. Mason leaned over Avery, his face resting just a few inches away. He kissed Avery deep as he pushed in, swallowing the moans Avery gave as he slowly slid in deep. Once he was to the hilt for a few moments, he pulled out before wildly slamming back in. Avery swore at the suddenness and bit into Mason’s shoulder, hearing him growl in response as he began to work himself in and out.

As time went on, Mason began to jack Avery off, his pumps matching with his thrusts. His palm was mostly dry, but some of the slickness still remained giving the motions a distinct feeling. Avery was panting at this point, the hand on his dick and Mason’s dick in him were making work of him. He was surprised he had lasted this long without cumming. Maybe it was his willpower acting out, an unconscious rebellion against the circumstances that he couldn’t cum first with Mason. 

“Go faster you fuck…” Avery said, his words breaking the sex-filled air. Mason brought his face out from the crook of Avery’s neck, sweat dripping down his forehead and a vicious grin plastered across his face.

“You sure you can handle that, Boss? You look pretty rough,” Mason said, his voice rumbling in his throat. Avery slapped Mason hard before grabbing his red locks and yanking him back from the hit.

“When I ask for something, you do it.” Mason looked into Avery’s eyes with a new ferocity, a mix of anger and desire. He pulled fully out, letting the head of his cock rest against Avery, before roughly pushing himself back in. Without hesitating, he began following Avery’s command, the rapid slapping of their skin loudly pounding into the air. Avery pulled Mason close, wrapping his legs around Mason and scratching his nails into Mason’s back as he kissed Mason with the same ferocity Mason was showing now. Mason slipped his hand away from Avery’s leaking member to grasp around his throat again, this time lightly squeezing as he pulled away. Mason watched Avery’s face, looking on in desire-filled fascination as Avery unwound fully. The way he threw his head back with some thrusts, the way his nails dug into him as he tightened his grip, the way he had started to call out Mason’s name; God, it was all so intoxicating to him.

“How much more can you take, Boss?” Mason growled. He had begun to realize he was at his limits, the burning heat in his stomach now cascading downwards. Avery grabbed him by the back of his neck, pulling his face right next to his own and whispering into his ear. The words he uttered sent Mason over the edge deep inside Avery, the hot liquid flowing out of him like a released dam, growling without abandon into Avery’s neck as he pounded through his orgasm. When he finished, he collapsed next to Avery, his hand landing against Avery’s stomach which was now messy with his own orgasm, unbeknownst to Mason. The two lied there for what felt like an hour, their chests rising and falling into a stable rhythm. Mason’s eyes began to droop. 

“Get out,” Avery said, pushing himself into an upright sitting position. Mason looked up, his drowsiness mixing with confusion as he surveyed Avery. Avery looked entirely different now, his face nowhere near what Mason had just witnessed earlier. It was hard and neutral, his eyes looking uninterested.

“Boss.”

“Get out.”

“Boss…!” Mason said, this time a bit more fiercely. He didn’t like the feeling that was coming over him, the feeling of being thrown out like a mangy mutt. He was the goddamn Alpha, not some lowly raider fuck who probably couldn’t even survive a month by themselves. Avery might have declared he was the Omega, but he had been here less than a whole day. Mason may have seen that fire in his eyes, the boldness and certainty he had when he swung at him; Avery was strong, but he was not going to throw him out like—

“Get. Out. Now,” Avery said again, this time punctuating each word. The words echoed like he had yelled them, but the level was firm, calm almost. He watched Mason as he got up, the look of anger on Mason’s face not softening. Mason’s balance wobbled slightly as he bent to pick up and put on his pants. Bending over to pick up his tank top, Avery stopped him, demanding to leave it. Mason didn’t quite understand why, but he did. He wasn’t sure what was coming over him, but his instincts said he needed to follow Avery’s words.

“You’re the Boss…” Mason said under his breath, standing back up and moving to leave the room. He heard Avery’s feet meeting the floor, but he didn’t turn. He was able to stand after what had just happened?

“Mason…” Avery began, grabbing Mason by the shoulder. Mason turned to meet Avery, but just as he met Avery’s gaze he was roughly yanked down by the neck. Avery had picked up Mason’s tank top and used it to force Mason into a sort of bow. “You tell no one of what happened tonight.” The words were completely frigid, sending a chill down Mason’s spine.

“Yes, Boss,” Mason said after a moment of silence akin to fearfulness, a feeling of dominance overcoming him. Avery let him go, the tank top left to rest on Mason’s shoulders. Looking up, Mason saw that Avery was still expressionless, but his eyes told another tale. That fire he had seen before at the amphitheatre was rampant, a fire Mason knew very well. The fire of the Alpha as he dethrones the previous. 

Mason realized, then, that Avery had been in control since the beginning of their encounter. He had swapped on a cap who was in control back at the bar, and that control had been slowly seeping its way into Mason’s core throughout the night. The talk about being the Omega wasn’t just talk, was it? Avery’s words, no longer cold but filled with an almost twisted enjoyment, answered Mason’s question. 

“That’s a good boy... No,  _ my _ good boy...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am on vacation for the next two weeks. Chapter 5: Among Stars and Killer Robots will be posted June 14th-ish. 
> 
> Also, sex scenes are... a new frontier. I've also learned I'm not all that fond of writing them! But we shall persevere and eventually get better at them, hopefully.


	6. Chapter 5: Among Stars and Killer Robots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PTSD warning.

It had taken all of Avery’s remaining willpower to remain standing when he confronted Mason. When Mason had left, the sound of the lift descending noisily into the night, Avery fell onto the floor, his legs a trembling mess. Mustering what little strength he had left was a challenge, praying to any gods above that he’d be able to at least get to the bathroom before he lost it all. Somehow, someway, Avery did, sliding over the bathtub side. It looked like it hadn’t seen good use in quite some time.    


“Please let the water work. Please let the water work,” Avery chanted to himself as he turned 

one of the knobs. The rumbling of the pipes filled the small room as cold, steady water flowed into the tub. Avery cursed at the frigidness but let the liquid pool against his sore body. He turned the water off as the tub almost filled completely, slipping down into the water. He began to relax, closing his eyes and letting his mind go blank and his breathing steady into a calm rhythm. Minutes passed, turning into almost an hour before Avery opened his eyes again. His body felt numb but renewed. He let the water drain as he carefully guided himself into a standing position. The soreness flared up again, but it was manageable. 

Avery made his way back to the bed, water dripping onto the floor as he walked. He picked up his shorts and underwear, slipping them back on, and his shirts. He used the undershirt to dry himself at least a bit - he’d hang it to dry somewhere around the room- and hung the long sleeve on a nearby chair, pausing momentarily as he began to wipe over his right arm. He had gotten a tattoo when he was 23, a sleeve no less, of two figures sitting side by side in a flower field, the sun shining hazily over the two. The color had faded ever since he had gotten out of the vault, but the picture was still discernible. Avery sat down on the bed, looking over his body art with a sense of sadness. He didn’t want to cry, it had been a year, but God if he didn’t miss him. The small leather bracelet he wore had their rings, a small reminder of better times, but also a reminder to keep looking for another someone. He would have wanted that for Avery...

Lying down, Avery closed his eyes as he rubbed the rings between his fingers. The motion against the smooth metal bands always calmed him, and when times were tough he would keep his finger over the engraving on the inside of his own ring. “Love without fail, live without worry,” Avery whispered. He had spoken that phrase a hundred times, and it never failed to remind him of what he had been fighting for back when he was still a rebellious young adult. Hell, he still was a rebellious young adult, a mere 25 years old, minus the two hundred year cryosleep. Right now, however, that phrase felt empty, hollow like the crater where the Institute once bunkered itself away. There was no one to love in this world anymore, not that he had found just yet - and God if he hadn’t tried to find someone- but he still had to live on. He had to find peace in a world that had all but given up on it. He had to, for himself and for those he had lost.

* * *

 

Avery hadn’t realized he had fallen asleep that night, the thoughts of his past swimming freely through his mind. He awoke to the sound of the door opening, boots noisily colliding with the stone floor. 

“Boss? Ya in here?” a somewhat familiar voice called out, the man coming into the room. Gage stood before him, scanning about before landing on Avery now sitting on the bed. He was fully outfitted in his yellow metal armor, a modded rifle slung over his shoulder. Avery rubbed his eyes, hearing a small cough from Gage before a simple “Mornin’ Boss.” 

“Ahh… Morning Gage,” Avery said in return, pushing himself slightly off the bed. His legs were still sore, but he could stand at least. Gage was staring back at Avery, his eyes making small motions downwards before coming back up. Avery glanced down, realizing that he hadn’t put some kind of shirt on before going to bed. He grabbed the long sleeve that he had worn the day before off the chair it hung from. Buttoning it up, he began to speak. “Did you want something, Gage?”

“Oh, right Boss, sorry. We should get to talkin’ about the plans for the park,” Gage said, his words a bit rushed as he recollected himself. Avery simply raised an eyebrow at Gage, but paid no more mind to the situation. “Like I said yesterday, right now the gangs are tightly packed together here and just about ready to explode on each other. We’ve only got control of one park here and it’s not a whole lot of space to work with. There are five other parks that aren’t cleared yet, so we should look to clearin’ those out and dividing ‘em up between the gangs.”

“Only five parks? Someone is gonna get the short end of the stick and I’m betting whoever that is isn’t going to like that?” Avery questioned, opting to sit at the table that adorned the middle of the room. Gage had moved to sit on the table, nodding his head at Avery in response.

“You’ve got that right, Boss. If we try dividing the parks up fairly, well, I don’t think we’ll be in any less hot water. The gangs don’t take very well to sharin’ anything, let alone territory. You’re gonna have to pick someone who gets fucked over in the end, unless you can pull a miracle.”

“Not much of a miracle worker, Gage. Used up all my luck surviving this long.”

“Well if that’s the case, ya better start thinkin’ and makin’ some talk between you and the gang bosses, see what they can offer in return for not getting just one park. After we’ve got control of all the parks, we’ve gotta worry about turning the power back on and get this thing fully goin’. Once that’s all done,” Gage started, but paused for a second, scratching his chin, “I haven’t thought that far, Boss. Didn’t think I’d get someone who’d kill Colter this soon.”

“Alright then, if that’s the plans then we should get started today,” Avery said, his hand going through his hair, the blue curls tangling with his fingers. Gage produced a map from his pocket, unfolding it and placing it on the table. There were markings all over the map, some looking like scribbles of what might be considered handwriting. 

“I’m thinkin’ we head on over to the Galactic Zone first since it’s the closest. From what we’ve gathered, it’s overrun by pre-war robots that ain’t keen on letting us in,” Gage moved his finger over the map, hovering above the poorly written word “robots.” Avery could remember some of the robots he had encountered back before the war. There were those Mr. Handys that spritzed Nuka-Cola, some eyebots that played advertisements and music, and those hulking custom protectrons. Sounded like… fun, right?

“Not really outfitted to fight robots, though,” Avery said, his head coming to rest on his hand. He gave Gage a glance over, watching as Gage’s gaze went from the map to him. He leaned back a bit, looking Avery over before looking off at a wall. 

“What you’re wearin’ ain’t really suited for much,” Gage muttered, giving Avery another look over before catching his eyes. “Ahh, I didn’t mean anythin’ by that, Boss! I haven’t seen anyone fight in, well, what ya got on and survive… That’s all…”

“It’s fine, Gage,” Avery said, waving his hand in the air to signal his indifference. He could probably pick something up on the way out at the market, but eventually, he’d probably have to make a supply trip back out into the Commonwealth. “I can get by for now with what I have.”

“Ya sure? What do you have besides a knife and whatever is in that shoulder bag of yours?”

“I’ve made due with less.” Gage seemed a bit unconvinced, but he shrugged his shoulders in response. Avery stood to stretch himself out, hoping that by the time they started out his soreness would be mostly gone. He really wasn’t looking to waste medicine for what he had put himself through intentionally last night. “I’d like to head out today, within the hour. I’ll grab some equipment from the marketplace and meet you at the gate exit.”

* * *

 

It was barely past eight in the morning when Avery met Gage by the gate, a used leather outfit replacing his shorts and shirt. He wore sunglasses now, the morning sun reflecting off their black tint as it peeked out from behind shifting clouds. A rifle similar to Gage’s was slung over his shoulder, the type apparently common among the raiders here. It was lighter than his own but seemed reliable enough. 

Gage was smoking when Avery walked up, the cigarette half gone already. He took one last drag before he threw it to the ground, stamping it out with his heel. He gave Avery a small greeting before looking in the direction of the Galactic Zone. His plan was in motion now, after a year of watching Colter do jackshit about it. Gage smiled softly before beginning to walk in the direction of the park. Avery made small talk about the danger the robots posed, seeing if there was anything he might want to know before they got shot at. Gage had no answers, however.

The two arrived at the entrance of the park to a gruesome scene. All about the entrance were bodies in different states of decay, some looking as if they had been feasted on by animals. Around the now decomposing masses of flesh were various destroyed robots. It looked like whoever these people were had put up a fight as a last resort but had ultimately met their ends. 

One of the bodies, a young looking woman with short hair, lied just outside the gate. Avery noticed something clutched in her hand, something small and rectangular in shape. Tapping the body with his foot, he loosened the object from her cold grasp, discovering the thing to be a holotape. Gage was off about seeing if there was anything worth looting off the dead, so Avery dug out his Pip-Pad and pushed the holotape in. 

The audio log retold the story of the woman and her group, traders apparently, being pushed out of Nuka-World and taking refuge in the Galactic Zone. Apparently within was something called “Star Control,” which used “star cores” to function properly. Albeit the woman’s warnings, they had activated the control system without enough cores, booting the robots into an aggressive state. The log ended with their plans to escape. Avery looked over the mess of bodies and robot husks, a low “Fuck” escaping his lips.

Gage rejoined Avery, asking if he had found anything useful. Avery explained what he had learned, Gage nodding along but his eye said that he understood barely anything Avery was saying. Avery sighed, hoping that the worst was already before him: dead bodies and dead robots.

* * *

 

It really wasn’t the worst before him at the gate. An assaultron’s body had been a false prophet, Avery now wincing as the machine gun fire and explosive capabilities of a sentry bot filled the theater. “Who the fuck,” Avery yelled, mostly in frustration but also as a question, “assigns a sentry bot to a theater?!” Another round of gunfire followed his exclamation, the bullets flying overhead. Gage was across the room, taking potshots at the robot monstrocity. Sometimes it would retarget, and then Avery would have his turn at negligibly shooting into the reinforced armor plating. A viciously boring, but still heart-pounding, situation. Eventually, the goddamn thing took enough damage, sending itself into its self-destruct sequence, a fiery explosion erupting into the desolate theater. 

The room was ablaze as Avery stepped out from cover, Gage cautiously making his way over. Avery had noticed the star core at the bar, but decided against grabbing it now, rampant fire and likely radiation and all. He wondered if the theater would burn down and, if possible, the whole damn park. The two exited the theater into what would only make this day shittier. Rain. Avery removed his sunglasses and cursed, “Just fucking great.”

They made their way through the park, fighting against the various robots that still inhabited the park. Avery made a few choice comments about the legality of having robots with literal weapons in an amusement park, but he wasn’t a lawyer nor was anyone going to listen to his case besides Gage. Gage just laughed at the remarks. After several minutes of walking through the drenching downfall, the winding ramps taking them somewhere, the two entered into some building, the name blurred by the heavy rain.

Upon entering the building, Avery’s throat closed, his heart beginning to pound harder and faster as he realized what was housed inside. In distinct fashion across the wall read “Vault-Tec,” the words instilling emotions Avery thought he had coped with long ago. Stumbling, Avery landed against a wall, the structure sighing in protest to his weight being pushed against it. Gage had already stepped further into the lobby, not noticing Avery’s sudden panicked state. He made some remark about how he could never live in something like this, the suffocation of being trapped too much for him. When Avery gave no reply, he turned to see Avery staring off, eyes wide like a frightened child. 

“Boss…?” Gage called, the title breaking the silence and snapping Avery out of his head. Avery looked at Gage, catching his confusion - or maybe it was concern- in his visible, green eye. He averted his gaze, his hand moving to fiddle with the piercings along the upper part of his ear before replying to Gage. 

“Ah, sorry,” Avery began, his voice barely carrying through the room, “Vaults aren’t exactly my favorite places to be.” 

“Aren’t ya from a vault, though?” Gage said, his eyebrow raised. It seemed odd to him, the pristine condition he was in and all was an easy tell that Avery hadn’t grown up in the wastes. Vaulties were always so clean, always had all their white teeth, and were always downright… different. Avery hadn’t been an exception to that precedent. His character was unpredictable, almost like he could flip from one to another. He had called Gage ‘Mr.’ when they first met and later went to beat up two of three ruthless raider bosses the  _ same  _ day. “Living in a vault sounds a lo-”

“I didn’t live in a vault,” Avery said, cutting Gage off from his thought. “I don’t want to talk about this right now. Let’s just get this stupid fucking building cleared and get out.” With that, Avery made his way past Gage, long strides guiding him onto a platform and into a tunnel-like structure, the lights and a voice coming on as he went through. Gage stared for a moment, confused, but shortly followed after. The boss was a strange one, a very strange one.

They made their way through the building, coming to realize that it was an extended exhibit of vault life in outer space. “Yeah, great idea, vaults in  _ space _ ,” Gage mumbled at some point. Inside there were a few protectrons and turrets, but nothing as big a threat as a sentry robot. Truthfully, the worst part was the eeriness of the mannequins placed about the rooms, their chipped paint jobs only making them feel more surreal. This was the life people had expected to live before the bombs fell?

Avery’s paranoia of the whole thing was starting to get to him, unbeknownst to Gage. He had fallen behind, letting Gage lead the way, purposefully so that he would not be the first to round a corner. His gun was half-raised in his right, his other hand constantly fiddling with his piercings. Flashes of Vault 111 went through his head, the walls seemingly bleeding into hallucinations of being guided along to what should have been his death. God, the smiles they had on their faces as they took unknowingly the only things he still held dear to him in those fleeting moments. Sometimes Gage would start talking to him or Avery would run into him, sending the visions away for a momentary reprise. Reality was beginning to lose its shape as they delved deeper into the exhibit, Avery’s heart beating frantically. 

It all came to an end when out of the corner of his eye Avery spotted a body behind the glass looking into some planetary scene. His mind told him that he was there, lying motionless, the gunshot ringing out so disturbingly in the cold silence. The cries of their child as he was ripped away from him followed, the piercing wails filling the air. Avery dropped his gun and pounded against the glass, screaming in anguish as his fists connected again and again with the window. “Not again, not again, not again,” Avery started to yell, the glass beginning to shatter. “Take me too, damnit! Fucking kill me!” 

The scene faded away as Avery was grabbed by the shoulders and pushed into a wall, Gage’s face coming into focus with a desperate look of concern. His mouth was moving, but Avery couldn’t hear a word that came out. Eventually, everything faded to black.

* * *

 

The sound of gunfire woke Avery up, a disgruntled feeling washing over him as his eyes desperately tried to open fully. Outside, Gage was firing off against a group of stray robots that had wandered in from Avery’s episode. Avery weakly tried to push himself up, his body protesting and eventually winning as it slumped back onto the ground. The periodic gunfire stopped after a few minutes, a brief moment of silence overcoming the room before heavy footsteps took it away. Gage squatted in front of Avery, his rifle gently sliding onto the floor as he lifted Avery’s face up. “You’re awake I see. Barely, but you’re awake.” Gage produced a can of water, popping the top and motioning for Avery to drink. He accepted, the liquid pouring into his mouth and trickling out the sides as he gulped it down. “Been about five hours since ya had your meltdown.” Avery choked on the water, rough coughs rippling through his body.

“Five hours?!” Avery said, his voice hoarse.

“Uh huh, or so says that prewar gadget of yours. Few robots been comin’ in and searchin’ the damn place wondering what caused all that commotion. Dragged ya into this room here and been watchin’ over the place since.” Gage had sat down next to Avery, his head lowered to his lap as he picked up his rifle, popping a few parts out and in. Avery’s left hand went up to his ear.

“I’m sor-”

“Nah none of that bullshit. You got your issues, I got mine. We all got some damn skeletons in our closets and there ain’t no point in lettin’ ‘em out when we don’t want to. But, I do got one question for ya, Boss, if ya don’t mind me askin’.”

“And that would be what, Gage?”

“Well, I was checkin’ you over for wounds - see if the whole hysteria thing was caused by something like that- and I discovered a bite mark? On your neck right about here,” Gage said, his finger coming to lightly poke at the base of Avery’s neck. “Doesn’t look like any kind of animal bite I’ve seen so I’m a bit curious is all.” Avery scrunched his face up as he tried to get the cogs turning, the whole passing out thing still clogging up his thought process. Eventually, it came to him, the memories of the encounter with Mason flooding in. 

“Oh fuck me,” Avery muttered, his head lightly banging against the wall behind him while his hands covered his face. Gage let out a laugh.

“I’m not much for sloppy seconds, Boss, especially not from the Pack.”

“Fuck off, Gage, fuck off.”

* * *

 

It was mid-afternoon by the time the two exited the Vault Tec building, the afternoon heat mixed with the humidity of fresh rain in full force. At least the sun was out and they could actually see this time around. Smoke was rising in the distance from the theater building, but it seemed to have died down from the earlier fiasco. 

Making their way through the park, the two stook to the high ground, taking out the stray robots as they found them. It was relatively simple picking until they stumbled upon the entrance to the RobCo Battle Arena, the two assaultrons hoisted on their podiums coming to life for seemingly no other reason than “Oh look, some humans to kill!” A few choice remarks and a bit of running around later, the robots were no more than piles of scrap metal and circuits. 

“Who the fuck designed this place? Are we sure this was an amusement park and not a death trap?” Gage asked.

“Some executives that never intended to step within a fifteen-mile radius of this place, probably. Let’s not go in there and let whoever gets this park to deal with it.”

“Good idea.”

* * *

 

Nuka-Galaxy was a winding nightmare of flashing lights, annoying voice-overs, and randomly lethal shooting alien animatronics. No, really, the animatronics actually shot real fucking lasers. At least this time, however,  _ they _ didn’t have to fight the sentry bot that was for whatever reason in a roller coaster ride. It was a sight to see a fake alien that could easily just get blown to smithereens with one rocket take down a military-grade combat robot. Avery and Gage held back their laughter as the robot could not recognize the threat, the alien making terribly voiced noises all while shooting away, for probably ten minutes straight. Avery guessed the that the sentry bot couldn’t understand it was being shot by something without a heat signature, but god damn if that flaw wasn’t hilarious. 

When the pair exited the ride, a pristine Nuka-Girl costume now stowed away in Avery’s bag, the moon had just begun to peek over the park. Bringing out his Pip-pad, the time read around nine. They had collected a fair amount of star cores from around the park, Avery suggesting they should drop the components off at Star Control. The park was mostly desolate of its original robot population now, a comforting buzz of insects blanketing the park. When the two arrived, Avery went about fitting the cores into the mainframe, watching as the panels began to light up in a faint red glow. After finishing the installations, he went and tapped away at the central computer, pulling up various programs that, albeit he knew very little about and was ultimately unsure of whether it would cause more harm or good to be messing with, eventually lead to a very plain and simple command box. With a few more button presses, Avery disengaged the combat protocols of park’s remaining functioning robots.

“Who would have thought it’d be as easy as ‘deactivate combat protocols’!” Avery said, his voice feigning exuberance.

“I’d probably still fuck it up. That computer junk is way over my head,” Gage replied while leaning against a piece of machinery, his voice showing the tiredness he was experiencing. 

“Ah, well, that should be it for this park. We can figure out who gets it in the morning, yeah?”

“Yeah, let’s get out of here. I don’t want to see another damn robot for a few days…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I uhh... got literally no work done during my vacation. Chapter 6: Beneath Trodden Earth will be posted June 21st.
> 
> EDIT: I goofed. Chapter 6 will be posted tomorrow, June 22nd.


End file.
